Review: Samsung Conquer 4G

The Conquer 4G's screen measures 3.5 inches across the diagonal and offers a relatively pedestrian 480 x 320 pixels. The display looks good for the most part, though individual pixels are visible from time to time. It's not as stunning at the company's Super AMOLED displays, but it still does very well. As for brightness, it performs just fine inside, and loses only a little visibility under the glare of the sun.

Signal

I was able to grab Sprint's WiMAX 4G network in Hoboken, N.J.. There, the Conquer 4G did very well on the WiMAX network. I ran a few speed tests and managed to reach a peak download of 5.65Mbps (average 4.1Mbps) and a peak upload of 1.89Mbps (average 1.47Mbps). These speeds aren't as fast as what's possible on Verizon's LTE network, but they are more than adequate for mobile broadband needs. The Conquer was able to hold onto the 4G signal well, and didn't drop it until I reached the edge of the WiMAX network.

The Conquer 4G performed adequately on Sprint's CDMA (3G) network. In my office in northern NJ, it snagged two bars of signal strength (which is on-par with most Sprint phones). In and around the metro NYC region, it remained consistently connected, and never dropped Sprint's signal entirely. During my testing period, the Conquer 4G missed one call and dropped one call. It survived the NJ vault test (a local super market), in this case meaning it could make/receive calls even showing zero bars. Data via 3G was consistent, but not speedy.

Sound

Call quality was very good. I was pleased with the clarity of voices coming through the earpiece, which, by the way, is capable of head-splitting volumes. Even set to max, it didn't distort or break up. I didn't notice any hissing, noises, or other nonsense getting in the way of conversations. The speakerphone worked well, too. It was plenty loud, and calls were just as clear. The vibrate alert and ringtones were exceptionally strong and alert-y.

Battery

The Conquer 4G has very good battery life. During my tests, it consistently lasted a day and a half between charges. That means you can unplug it on Monday after breakfast and go to about dinner time on Tuesday without a problem. The one caveat I'll mention is that I only spent about an hour testing the device under 4G coverage. The rest of the time was spent with just 3G coverage and the WiMAX radio off. Performance in 4G markets with the WiMAX radio consistently turned on will certainly have a negative impact on battery life. (The 4G radio can be turned off with a quick jump into the settings menus.)